Comparison

Tom vs PDF Compressor

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Tom

This app converts audio and video files into editable text using multiple on-device engines. It supports live recording, file import, and offers subtitle export. Transcripts are stored locally and can be edited or searched.

Highlights
  • On-device transcription
  • Multiple transcription engines
  • Live recording
  • File import
  • Editable transcripts
  • Subtitle export (SRT, VTT)
  • Smart playback controls
Features
Read full description

Transcribe audio & video with the engine that fits the job — three options, all 100% on-device. Tom turns sound into clean, editable text right on your iPhone. Lectures, WhatsApp voice notes, screen recordings, interviews, podcasts, long meetings — pick your engine, drop in the file, read the transcript. No account, no upload. Built originally for a friend who is deaf, Tom is for anyone who needs to read what was said. TRY IT, THEN DECIDE Five transcriptions are on the house — from files or recorded live, with any engine, no time limit and no minute counter. Enough to put your own audio through it and see what comes out. Tom Pro — a single payment, no subscription, no ads — removes the limit on new transcriptions, and adds subtitle export in SubRip and WebVTT plus re-transcribing a file with a different engine, keeping every version. Whatever you've already transcribed stays yours either way: read it, edit it, search it, play it back and export it as text, with or without Pro. Bought Tom back when it was a paid app? You already have Tom Pro, free, forever. Nothing to do. CHOOSE YOUR ENGINE • Apple Speech — fast, low memory, built into iOS. Great default for live recording and short files. 25 languages. • Whisper — OpenAI's recognizer, running locally. Six sizes from Tiny (80 MB) to Large v3 (3.1 GB), including Turbo for the best speed/quality balance. Up to 99 languages. • Parakeet v3 — high-accuracy European transcription from FluidAudio, on-device. 25 European languages. KEY FEATURES • Live recording — tap once and watch the transcript appear as you speak. • File import — any video from your library, or audio from the Files app (WhatsApp voice notes included). • Multiple engines + re-transcribe — pick Apple Speech, Whisper, Parakeet or Nemotron per file, and (with Tom Pro) re-run the same audio through a different engine without losing the previous transcript. • Editable segments — long-press a segment to fix a word the recognizer got wrong. Your edit stays on the device. • Subtitle export — save any transcript as plain text, or as SubRip (.srt) and WebVTT (.vtt) with Tom Pro. • Player with smart controls — tap-to-seek, follow the highlighted segment, skip ±10s, switch speed to 1.5x or 2x. • Honest hallucination flag — when Whisper invents text on silence or music, suspect segments are clearly marked. We never silently strip your transcript. • Long files — chunked processing for meetings, lectures and full episodes. • Model management — downloaded models live in Documents, visible in the Files app. Delete one from Settings or Files to reclaim space anytime. • Wi-Fi only downloads — on by default, so large models never eat your cellular data. • Smart storage — custom titles, search by title or content, activity log on every step. WHO IS IT FOR • Students extracting notes from lectures, videos, or screen recordings. • Professionals transcribing interviews, meetings, or long audio files. • WhatsApp users who want to read voice messages instead of listening. • Content creators turning audio or video into text or subtitles for TikTok, Reels, Shorts, or blogs. • Podcasters making episodes accessible with .srt subtitles. • Anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing and needs private, reliable transcription. WHY CHOOSE TOM Most transcription apps upload your audio to a server. Tom does the opposite: every engine — Apple Speech, Whisper, Parakeet, Nemotron — runs entirely on your iPhone. No account, no upload, no subscription: Tom Pro is a one-time purchase. With multiple engines, re-transcribe-and-compare, segment editing, subtitle export and an honest hallucination flag, Tom covers the whole flow from "I said this" to "here's a clean text I can share" — without ever sending a byte off your device. Note: the app needs permission for the microphone (live recording), the photo library (video import), and Apple's speech recognition. Your audio stays on your device. Offline models are downloaded once on first use.

About

PDF Compressor

Features
Read full description

PDF Compressor helps you reduce PDF file size for sharing, uploading, and keeping smaller copies of your documents. Select a PDF, choose a compression level, and check the result before saving or sharing it. Choose your compression level Pick Better Quality, Balanced, or Smaller File to prioritize visual quality or a smaller output. The amount of reduction depends on the original document. Check the result Preview your compressed PDF and see its file size, page count, and percentage reduction. Your original PDF stays unchanged, so you can review the compressed copy before using it. Save, share, and find it again Save the result to Files or send it through the share sheet. Saved results remain available in History for previewing, sharing, renaming, or deleting later. Process your PDFs locally Compression runs locally without uploading your documents to a processing server. No app account is required. Choose the access that fits your needs Free access includes advertising and two successful compressions per day. Cancelled or failed attempts and results without a meaningful size reduction do not use your allowance. Previewing, saving, and sharing an existing result remain available without using another compression. Optional Pro access removes advertising and the daily compression limit. The same compression quality options are available with free and Pro access. Before you compress Compression converts each page into an image within the output PDF. Visual quality may decrease, and text in the compressed copy will no longer be selectable or searchable. Some PDFs may not become smaller, and a specific output size is not guaranteed. PDF Compressor lets you use the app at no cost. However, premium access may be available as an optional in-app upgrade. Privacy Policy: https://alderpathstudio.github.io/PDF-Compressor/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: https://alderpathstudio.github.io/PDF-Compressor/term-of-use.html

Screenshots

Tom4 screens
PDF Compressor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PDF Compressor at none against Tom's 1. PDF Compressor also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). Tom's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Tom sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. PDF Compressor asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tom ships an update every 2 months, PDF Compressor every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Tom versus PDF Compressor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTomPDF Compressor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarco TiniJeny Goentoro

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Tom

One-time1
  • Tom Pro$9.99
None

PDF Compressor

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tom free?
Tom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Compressor free?
PDF Compressor is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tom or PDF Compressor have ads?
PDF Compressor shows ads; Tom does not.
Which is updated more often, Tom or PDF Compressor?
Tom ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Compressor every 6 days. Most recently, Tom was updated on November 5, 2026 and PDF Compressor on October 26, 2026.

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